1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns dental floss-like apparatuses and dentifrice containers and the manner in which they are constructed for use in preventative and corrective dental care. This invention further concerns dental floss-like containers, of the one-time use variety, serving also as handles by which the user may manipulate and use the device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art abounds with devices which concern the use of dental floss. U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,264, issued Apr. 25, 1961, by A. F. DeFelice, teaches a dental cleaner massager, wherein such massager utilizes a floss member of conventional construction, secured to the apex of two cone-like shaped bodies fabricated from an elastomeric rubber-like material. In use, the length of the dental floss, extending between the apex of the cones, pass between the teeth of the user so as to permit the tapered sharp cone to enter into the space between the teeth, further enhancing the cleaning process and providing for massaging. The cones act as handles for the apparatus. In use, the De Felice device requires a container to house a portion of the dental floss to be applied to the teeth, and presumptively, at least portions of one of the cones that may come in contact with the mouth of the user for sanitary purposes. No dentifrice is employed.
In like fashion, U.S. Pat. No. 2,443,415, issued June 15, 1948 to J. Buscarino describes a dental floss holder, which holder has a finger grasping portion and an anvil affixed thereto. Affixed to the anvil is a length of dental floss which is pre-stretched and defined as to its length. No dentifrice is described.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,821 issued Oct. 10, 1972 to John Q. Adams, IV, discloses a pair of caps or thimbles that engage over the fingers of the user, the closed ends of the thimbles being apertured to allow feeding of a simple dental floss therethrough, from a supply container to the length that is required to clean teeth. In use, the thimbles functionally clamp the dental floss to the fingers so that the floss may be properly tensioned for use without the inconvenience and frequent discomfort which arises when the dental floss is wound around the fingertips, in convention fashion. No dentifrice is described.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,519,408, issued Apr. 28, 1985, and 4,633,892, issued Jan. 6, 1987, to me, teach a dental floss-like apparatus which utilizes a frangible tube, sealed at both ends, containing therewithin an elastomeric-like material that--once stretched--will not resume its original unstretched length or condition. As the elastomeric-like material stretches, its cross-sectional dimensions decrease so as to manifest an elongated monofilament between the broken ends of the housing, which monofilament-like material can be used to effectively clean the teeth, whilst the proximal handles may be grasped by the user in a convenient fashion. However, the difficulties encountered with the type of manufacture taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,408 is that the elongated material, disposed between the two broken handle-like ends of the unitary housing, sometimes manifest uneven cross-sections, along its exposed length. This is due to the inability to mix the material properly and to uniformly extrude same so as to adhere uniformly to the interior walls of the housing so as to insure a uniform stretching process. A manufacturing technique used to practice my invention under U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,408 is the co-axial simultaneous extrusion of the inner, elastomeric-like material and the outer rigid housing. My later U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,892 teaches the use of two draw-like small openings to insure a uniform cross-section of the extrudate. Neither of my prior two Patents teaches the use of any dentifrice material stored within the housing, dispensed when the housing is broken.
In all of the above described disclosures, no teaching illustrates an apparatus in which the housing may be broken apart, serving as handles for the manual grasping use, and provides for an elongated plastic-like material which extends between the broken ends, such material having a worked and uniform cross-section throughout its length, carrying a dentifrice on or about the elongated plastic-like material.